The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Ministers or officials in his Department have had with colleagues in the Department for Education on the effect of deregulating school holidays on the tourism industry.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS officials meet with their Department for Education counterparts regularly and discuss a range of issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Gregory Campbell on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure people who are currently employed by the Driver and Vehicle Agency receive training to enable them to take up local posts in other Government departments and public bodies..
Stephen Hammond
Department for Transport officials are working with those in Northern Ireland to support any Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) staff who might need to learn new skills to secure alternative employment. An initial meeting has taken place to discuss the details. Officials will continue to work together to ensure appropriate support is given to staff at the DVA during the transition period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on how the ongoing conflict in Western Sahara affects the ability of terrorist and criminal gangs to recruit disaffected youth in the refugee camps or the occupied territory.
Hugh Robertson
We monitor the security situation in the region from a number of sources. We are aware of frustration in both Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps at the lack of progress in the political process and at the socio-economic conditions in the camps. However, we are not aware of any evidence to suggest increased radicalisation of Sahrawi youth by terrorist or criminal gangs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the Community Support Fund for former Remploy employees was only accessible through a third party and what estimate he has made of how many eligible former Remploy employees did not make a claim because they were unable to do so themselves.
Mike Penning
The Community Support Fund (CSF) was co-produced with disabled people and ex -Remploy employees to determine exactly what type of support or project they wanted to take part in. A key driver for the CSF was to ensure ex -employees could keep in touch with former work colleagues; to help negate feelings of isolation. This social activity can only be achieved by offering opportunities for ex-employees to take part in group activities.
Access to CSF was provided through Disabled People’s User Led and Voluntary Sector Organisations who have the necessary skills to support these projects, providing vital peer support, personalised local services and actively working to increase participation in local community activities.
The Community Support Fund (CSF) projects have provided opportunities for 1136 disabled ex-employees and 827 people have taken part in CSF activities at March 2014.
We are unable to provide an estimate of how many eligible former Remploy employees did not make a claim for CSF funding because they were unable to do so themselves.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to assist homeowners facing problems paying their mortgages and to provide practical advice and support.
Kris Hopkins
The Council of Mortgage Lenders reported 28,900 repossessions in 2013, down from 33,900 in 2012 and the lowest level since 2007. It has revised down its forecasts for 2014 to 28,000. The Government is not complacent, but believes this fall in repossessions is a consequence of improved arrears management by lenders and action the Coalition Government has taken to tackle the deficit and keep interest rates down.
Homeowners struggling with mortgage payments should take action as soon as possible by discussing their situation with their lender or contacting money advice experts such as Citizens Advice, Shelter, StepChange or National Debtline for free and independent advice on taking control of their finances.
Government support is available in the form of Support for Mortgage Interest, paid as part of DWP benefits to help eligible out-of-work households meet their monthly mortgage interest payments. The Budget in March this year extended the enhancements to the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme (a shortened 13 week waiting period and an increased capital limit of £200,000), until 31 March 2016.
Within England the Government continues to ensure the provision of free on-the-day legal advice (the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme) to assist households at possession hearings. We are providing £470 million of funding in the current Spending Review period to prevent and tackle homelessness and repossessions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many refuges are not classed as supported exempt accommodation for the purposes of housing benefit.
Steve Webb
The information requested is not available. Designation as supported exempt accomodation is relevant only to claims by individuals for Housing Benefit and is not intrinsic to the definition or purpose of a refuge or other supported housing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions were performed beyond the 24 week limit where feticide was declined in each of the last five years.
Jane Ellison
Information on whether feticide was declined is not collected on the abortion notification form HSA4.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.
Karen Bradley
The Home Office has already undertaken a review of its check-off union
subscription provision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on funding available for victims’ services of devolution to police and crime commissioners.
Damian Green
From 1 October 2014 the majority of support services for victims of crime will be commissioned at the local level by democratically elected and publicly accountable Police and Crime Commissioners and this Government is making more money than ever before available to ensure that victims receive the vital support they require.
PCC’s with their knowledge of local victims’ needs are uniquely placed to ensure that available funding is targeted where most required to help victims of crime to both cope with and, where possible, recover from the impacts of crime.
PCCs are also ideally placed to co-commission with other local commissioners such as Health or Local Authorities, thereby reducing duplication and achieving better value for money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-03-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals who came to the United Kingdom as unaccompanied children between 2005 and 2010 (1) eventually settled in the United Kingdom, (2) left voluntarily, and (3) were removed.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach
The number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) granted indefinite leave to remain between 1st October 2006 and 31st December 2010 is 661.
Numbers of voluntary removals of UASC by year from 1st October 2006 to 31st December 2010:
|
Year of application |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
Total |
|
Total |
7 |
28 |
23 |
14 |
14 |
86 |
Numbers of enforced removals of UASC by year from 1st October 2006 to 31st December 2010:
|
Year of application |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
Total |
|
Total |
9 |
29 |
28 |
21 |
9 |
96 |
Please note:
• ‘Unaccompanied children’ have been interpreted as unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) in answering this question.
• All figures quoted above are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks.
• Data on UASC was not formally recorded on the Home Office’s Case Information Database until 1st Oct 2006.
• The above data does not necessarily relate to individuals who arrived in the UK in the period specified. The action referred to in the response may relate to a person who arrived in the UK in a previous year.